Out of the Frying pan
by OneSnazzyGnome
Summary: *Clears Throat* Imagine, Dear Reader if you will indulge me, a mountain. Now imagine, if you will, a lodge. A lodge filled with people unaware of the torture that awaits them. Saws and Guns and Traps and Fire. Attempted murder. Attempted suicide. Now imagine, if I have yet to destroy your imagination, that they all survive. Rated T for language, blood, and depression! Enjoy kids.
1. Chapter 1

_The saw whirs to life and a grinding sound fills the room. My arms ache, the weight of my body pulling them as I hang suspended in the air. I don't know how long I've been hanging here as I only woke up minutes ago. But judging from the ache of my arms and the snow that has melted into water on my hoodie, I've been here I while. I call out Chris' name yet again. I know he's there, but I can't hear him over Josh's screaming, my own screaming, and the thumping of my heart. The saw is stained red, as though this is not its first time cutting into a human. I almost vomit at the thought. Chris calls out this time, saying that he won't let me die. I almost cry in relief, but that relief turns almost instantaneously to horror. The saw begins to move towards Josh, who hangs next to me. Suddenly my hearing stops working as the world moves in slow motion. I see Josh's face, the fear in his eyes and he screams something at Chris that I cannot hear. The saw inches closer to his body and my mind goes blank. Only one thought crosses my mind: close your eyes. I close them as the saw makes contact with Josh's body. My hearing works again just in time to hear him scream. Suddenly I'm covered in a liquid, as though someone has thrown a bucket of paint on me. I scream._

 _My head jerks off my chest. The blood from Josh earlier has dried on my clothes, on my body. My eye stings and I find I can't open it all the way. Chris sits across from me, looking at my eye with a rage in his. Suddenly his voice breaks and his eyes fill with tears. He pours his emotions about me out onto the table and it takes all of my willpower not to cry. A voice washes over the room filling me with dread and I finally notice the gun resting on the table. My arms are strapped to the table and I can't move as I watch Chris reach for the gun. He looks at it, then with no hesitation what-so-ever, he puts it to his head. I plead with him, I beg him to let me save him. I can't live with another person dying for me. But he looks up at me, his eyes holding the feelings he's too stupid to tell me: Sorry. I love you. Then he pulls the trigger. I scream._

These memories flash before my eyes as the chopper circles the remnants of the house, kicking up snow and ash. Mike runs over to Sam to help her get up. She grimaces, the back of her jacket torn and burnt. I run over and grab some snow and press it on her back where several third degree burns appear from beneath her destroyed jacket. She whimpers and leans against Mike as I attempt to cool her skin. Most of my injuries are few and minor, save for my eye. At least… The physical ones. My mental injuries far proceed those of Mike and Chris and Sam and Em.

Mike is in horrible condition, the bandages where his some of his fingers used to reside are bloody and falling off. Em isn't as bad, though her bite is definitely hurting her. Sam's burns are the worst, the rest of her injuries being numerous cuts on her hands from the rocks and cuts and bruises in other locations. Chris' leg is screwed and the bruise on his head is ginormous, but he is otherwise good. He stands up to wave at the helicopter. There's no need, the broken house is possibly the biggest signal fire in history, but none of us say this out loud. We all understand, the urgency to get off this damn mountain resides in all of us and even though I know the copter sees us, I take one hand off Sam's back long enough to wave up as well. A man inside the metal-machine waves back at us, and I just collapse on the ground in a sea of happiness and relief. Chris jogs over behind me and squats down to my level. He gently wraps his arms around me and buries his face in my back-right shoulder. I lean back into his hug and put my hands on top of his.

"It's okay," he murmurs next to my ear, "we're safe now." He squeezes me tighter. "Nothing can hurt us anymore."

I gasp, tears popping up in my eyes as I squeeze his hands. I can't cry yet. I have to get off this stupid mountain before I cry. Someone in the chopper has a megaphone and shouts down to us above the wind and noise.

"It's okay kids! We're here now! There's a clearing very close to the lodge where we are going to set down. Stay right where you are! We will park the copter and get over to you as fast as humanly possible. Wave if you heard me!"

We all enthusiastically wave up and the chopper turns to set down in the "clearing" near the lodge. Sam and Mike plop down next to me and Chris. I resume icing Sam's burns as she leans against Mike. She tries to be so strong all of the time, the glue that holds us together, the one who always forgives after a long enough time. But now, even she can't be strong as she leans every ounce of her being on us. I take one hand off her back and dry it off on my thigh, before rubbing the top of her head. I pull her in for a little hug and she obliges, putting her head on the same shoulder Chris was leaning on earlier. Chris moves behind me, leaning his back against my own in a sitting position. Together, we support each other, leaning against each other. The other hand not rubbing Sam's hand sneaks around to find Chris'. Is finds it and squeezes it tight. Chris squeezes the hand in return, and I feel a flutter in my chest. I lean my head back onto his shoulder and close my eyes. Em sits a little way away from us, a scowl on her face. I feel bad for her, we did almost shoot her. Chris waves his arms, beckoning her to come over to where we are sitting. She frowns and reluctantly walks over, though makes a point by sitting four feet away from us.

It takes the rescue team eight minutes and twenty-seven seconds to find us. I know because Mike reminds us how much time has past at the top of every minute. I actually start counting and match his pace at around the four-minute mark, though I keep my tallying mental. The sudden sound of bodies crashing through the forest cause all of us to tense up. Mike jumps to his feet, his hand hovering at the machete kept in the loop of his jeans. Chris gets into a crouching position and grabs the branch sitting next to him, preparing to brandish it like a sword.

An inward laugh at this. As kids, he, Josh, and I would sword fight with branches and other various pieces of wood we would find in backyards and at the parks. Hannah and Beth would jump in with us sometimes, as well as Sam. The best was when all six of us would be sparing off, teams or otherwise, with fake war paint and trash can lids as shields. It was always a game, an activity to pass the time with. Even though I would get hit in the hand sometimes, I was never in any danger. Oh how I wish I could go back... Because now, if something's out there in the woods ready to kill us, the only thing to stop it is a rusty knife and a dead tree limb. More crashing sounds can be heard from the trees and I pull Sam close, holding on to her with all of my life.

A caribou leaps from the trees and runs off into the distance, snow flying as it prances past us. From the forest from where the carabao appeared, a man in a cowboy hat, jeans, and a camo shirt appears, gun drawn. He sees us, tucks the gun into his belt, and yells for his friends.

"Guys!" He smiles at us as he calls out into the woods. "I found 'em!" He is the man who yelled at us from the chopper, middle aged with gray-sprinkled brown hair and blue eyes. Once he finishes calling his friends, he turns and runs over to us. Mike, Chris, and Em stand up as he nears, Chris throwing aside his branch-stick. All of us have tears of joy on our faces as he nears, and Chris runs up to meet him.

"You okay mist-" his voice is cut-off as Chris pulls him in for a big hug, which is awkward since the guy is even bigger than he is. The man laughs, patting Chris on the shoulder, but his eyes are full of worry as he really looks at us for the first time. Broken bodies. Bloody hands. Empty eyes. We look like crap. He walks over to where Sam and I are and I see Chris tense up, eyes flickering over to mine. But the man means no harm, crouching down so he can better see Sam's burns. He whistles low and grabs some snow to help me apply on her back.

"Smart of you to do this kid," he says with a very southern drawl. How in the world we managed to find The Great Canadian Mountain Cowboy I have no idea, but I'm so relieved at the presence of someone who actually knows what to do, I would be fine with him even if he was a pirate for god's sake.

"My name is Lawson, and the others should be here any moment. Who was the one who called the station from the tower?" Em puts up her hand and Lawson nods his head. "Good job kid. We tried to reconnect about an hour ago, were you into the lodge or something?" Em shook her head.

"No sir," her voice is shaky, "the tower collapsed."

Lawson looks up at her with shock plastered across his face. " Jiminy Christmas! Was anyone on the tower when it fell!" Em looks down at her feet. "Yeah… Me and my boyfriend Matt."

He stares at her in shock but surprisingly, he looks as though he believes every word she says. "I'm assuming Matt isn't one of these gentlemen here?" Em can't respond, so Sam speaks up for her.

"No. I'm Sam, that's Chris, Mike, Emily, and Ashley. Matt fell into the mines according to Em. We're also missing Jessica who also fell and Josh, whose family owns the mountain. We… we believe them all to be dead."

I don't know how she manages to get that last part out. Jess was an ass sometimes, but other times she was really nice. Matt was kind to everyone, like Sam. He had to be, to put up with a girlfriend like Em. And Josh… He was relatively close to me and super close to Sam and Chris. My head still reels with the fact that he's gone. Even though he pulled this horrible prank on us, he didn't know about the wendigos. He never meant to hurt us, as sick and twisted as he was. He just felt so alone after Hannah and Beth died… We all did, but it respectively hurt him the most. Now he and two others are gone.

Lawson stares at Sam, his eyes full of sadness. He looks around to see Mike and Chris and Em looking at their feet, eyes brimming with tears. The he turns to look at me, staring into my eyes, into my soul. He can tell how broken I am. "... May God have mercy on your souls," he whispers.

We all look up at him as the other rescuers break through the brush. Everyone turns to look at them, but I see. I see Lawson wipe a tear away, his blue eyes gray and cloudy. The one leading the charge is a girl who can't be older than us, with caramel-colored hair and Lawson's blue eyes, with about seven, no... eight others following her. Her eyes search our faces and her right-hand flies to her mouth. Her eyes fill with horror, flicking from person to person. The boy on her left, again, close to our age, subtly grabs her hand, his mouth agape. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," he mumbles, not loud enough for us to hear, but the movement of his lips could indicate nothing else. Suddenly, the girl's eyes harden and she runs over to us, dragging the boy by his hand and the others following. She runs over to Mike, the closest and begins to expect the damage.

"I'm Piper," she says while inspecting his face, checking how deep the cuts are. The boy who was holding her hand runs over to Chris and begins checking his leg. "That's Toby," she says, jabbing her thumb at the boy telling Chris to sit down. Chris obliges, sitting down hard and leaning back on his hands. When Toby tries to roll Chris' pant leg up, Chris moans in pain and Toby stops. The other seven spread out to help us. A man looking about Lawson's age goes over to Mike and begins inspecting his hand. A girl looking in her mid-30s goes over to Em and shines a flashlight on the bite. Two men also in their mid-30s run over to Lawson and Sam and I, while the remaining three pull out their handguns and turn so that they can shoot anything coming out of the forest… Or us. One of the guys who nears us has an emergency supplies kit and the other calls out to Lawson as they near.

"What's the damage with the girls?" He shouts above the wind that just picked up. Lawson shakes his head and stands up, turning Sam so that she's lying on her stomach across my lap, her burns facing up.

"One has third-degree burns, multiple cuts and bruises along her hands and arms, and a few cuts on her head. The other has a black eye with cuts also around her eye, cuts on neck, and she's covered in blood. It can't all be hers, but due to they way she's holding herself, there has to be either cuts on her front, bruises, or broken ribs. What about… Mike, Piper? Joel?"

Piper and Joel don't stop examining Mike as Piper responds. "Black eye with cuts as well. Cuts all along his face and neck including one on his lip that will require stitches. He's sustained burns as well, though minor compared to hers. Bruised ribs, possibly cracked. Als-"

Joel cuts her off. "There are shards of glass in his right palm. His left hand…" he sighs. "Jesus. Some of his fingers are missing. Pinky and ring finger are both missing some of the carbs and his middle finger is covered with cuts. We're gonna need a metric fuck ton of hydrogen peroxide for him alone. Toby, how's blondie?"

Toby lets out a nervous chuckle. "He could be better. Major cut to his brow and showing signs of having been knocked out multiple times in multiple ways. Evidence of violence and drugs, so we won't rule anything out. His leg is fucked, he either broke his ankle **and** his fibula or he pulled a shit ton of tendons. Like I said, he could be better. Stacy? How's your gal?"

Stacy, the girl with Em looks pretty positive. "Nothing bad. A couple of scratches and minor leg damage, most likely from falling and landing improperly. The only thing that concerns me is a wound on her upper right side. It looks like a bite, but definitely not bear, wolf, human, or bird. It's strange… _Irregular._ "

Lawson nods his head then turns back to Sam and I. "Can you girls walk?"

Sam and I nod our heads and stand up. Em leans on Stacy and Mike walks over to her, Joel and Piper following and ready to catch him if he falls. The guards come over as well, placing themselves around our little group. Chris is having some difficulty standing, attempting to get up while both his leg and Toby keep him on the ground.

"Guys," Toby calls out as we near him, "I don't think it's safe for Chris to walk. Any walking can further damage his leg."

Lawson sighs and briskly walks over to Toby, Joel following just behind him. Together, Lawson and Joel get Chris onto Toby's back piggy-back style. Even with all of this shit going on, Chris still manages to smile and wave as he rides Toby. "How doth the winds fare thy travelers? I would stay, but my palace awaits. High-ho Silver!" Chris pats Toby on the head, signaling him to go faster. We all laugh as we keep walking, Toby walking slower than the others. Suddenly, he neighs and arches his back, almost throwing Chris off, and charges forward through the snow. I giggle uncontrollably at Chris's shocked and confused expression as he races past us. Even though Chris had been through so much, he's still able to keep us laughing. That's what I adore about him: the bad puns and funny attitude. When life hands Chris lemons, he doesn't make lemonade. He attempts to juggle the lemons, bringing joy to others and to himself.

Suddenly, the laughing stops as Toby is standing stock-still ahead of us at the top of a hill. He and Chris are both making whimpering sounds in the back of their throats, unmoving. Joel runs up to join them, and stops himself. "No," he mutters, "that's impossible. We were here five minutes ago.

We all run/limp fast up to them. Before I look over the hill, I look up at Chris. His eyes are unmoving and filled with fear as he stares unblinking down the hill. The others are looking down the hill, their breaths caught in their throats. I put my hand on his arm, and turn my head.

There, in the clearing, are caribou. Dozens of them. I start to whimper too, burying my head in Chris arm. Toby slides him gently off his back and Chris grabs me, pulling me into a hug. I close my eyes and whimper into Chris' jumper. He strokes my hair with one hand and rubs my lower back with the other, whispering "It's okay… It's okay" over and over again. I can't get the image out of my head, I will never be able to get the image out of my head. Because the dozens and dozens of caribou… None of them have heads.

 _Got to love a little suspense, even 1 chapter into the story. But yeah... if anyone reads this fic, great! If not, I won't hold it against you at all. Though technically if you never read this, you'll never see the message. Meaning anyone reading the message is technically reading my story! Well, whether purposefully or nah, thank you! I'll try to post regularly... *nervous chuckle* See you guys on the flipside! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

"Holy shit," Lawson breathes, not wanting to believe it. Suddenly, one of the guards stumbles a few feet away from the group and throws up. I almost throw up too, the sight both disgusting and bone chilling.

"Fuck…" Mike mutters, fear growing in his eyes. "We've got to get to the copter!" Toby looks at him funny, not understanding the amount of desperation in Mike's voice. "Why?" Mike looks at him, anger and fear evident in his voice. "Because, this means they're not all dead."

It clicks in my head, the reason why we need to leave as fast as possible. Chris holds me tighter and Sam mutters "oh shit" over and over again. None of the rangers get what we're saying, but Lawson and Piper nod their heads. "Toby," Lawson yells, "get Chris back on your back! We're gonna go around this and get to the helicopter. Joel, cover Chris and Toby. Ashley and Sam, I'll hang back with you. Stacy stay with Emily and Piper stick with Mike. Alex, Riley, and Janet, go in front of us. And everyone get their guns out!"

The group rushes to get moving again and in less than a minute, we're mobile. We fast walk, not able to run or jog but refusing to go slow. We move around the hill, refusing to walk through the throng of corpses. In minutes, my breathing is labored as we move as best as we can through the knee-high snow. I glance over at Chris and Toby, wanting desperately to go over to Chris but absolutely refusing to leave Sam alone. I grab her hand and she smiles a brief smile at me, though I can tell it's forced. There's no light in her eyes like there normally is, just fear.

I hate this mountain.

 **Chris**

Guilt grips my chest as we make our way to the helicopter. No, as **Toby** makes **his** way to the helicopter, carrying a useless sack of skin on his back, slowing him down, wearing him out. I'm so useless… My actions keep getting people hurt.

I wanted to go back for Josh and that old man paid my price.

I wanted to get to the lodge fast, jumping off a ledge and landing hard on my leg and Toby and the others are paying the price.

I drank myself into a coma that night a year ago… and Beth and Hannah paid the price. None of these people deserve what they're getting from me and my actions.

I chose to save Ash, and in turn, "murdered" my best friend. I am a horrible excuse for a human being.

I sigh… at least one good thing came out of this nightmare. I blush and remember when Ash and I kissed. Well, she kissed me, but that's beside the point! I feel so protective of her, which is weird because right now, I can't even help myself. But I just want to sweep her off her feet, get her off this death trap of a mountain, and make her some hot chocolate. Gawd I'm manly (as I ride this poor guy to death.) I'm not fat, just tall. And I love Kit Kats. And Reese's. Okay, maybe I'm a tad bit large, but it's all muscle. And fat.

We continue down the snowy path, my mind continuing to wander in multiple directions when a screech meets our ears. I know that sound… the sound that will forever be in my nightmares. The sound burned into my mind. The sound of death. We stop, fear tugging at our hearts as we hear something move in the brush. I make an oh-so-manly noise in the back of my throat and grab Toby's shoulders until my knuckles are white. I don't care if I look like a pussy, I'd rather be hiding behind someone right now than being the guys up front with the guns. Horror cliche #245: the guys with the guns and knowledge of the land and experience with shit (A.K.A. convenient plot devices) get killed off seconds after they make an appearance, forcing the protagonist(s) into an exceptionally long chase scene. Exhibit A: flamethrower guy. I instantly feel bad for categorizing a dead man, but no time for that now.

Another screech. Our group, already up against each other, pulls in even closer. Toby moves to put me down, but Lawson shakes his head. "Toby," he says slowly and quietly, "you're the worst shot out of all of us. If something happens, you grab Piper, Stacy, Mike, Sam, and Ashley and you run. Don't worry about anything jumping out at you, Pipes and Stace will shoot it. Just run and don't worry about the rest of us, you hear? And don't you **dare** drop Chris."

Toby tries to protest but one of the guards, Janet I think, stops him. Piper, handgun in her right hand, grabs his hand with her left one. From my bird's-eye view, I see them share eye contact. A silent conversation. It dawns on me that they must be close, they understand each other with a single glance. Just like Ash and I.

Toby looks down at the snow and nods, letting go of Piper's hand and letting his re-adjust me on his back. Lawson smiles at him, respect and love in his eyes as he turn quickly back towards the woods. The rustling sound draws nearer and nearer.

Suddenly…

It stops.

…

But only for a moment. Remembering something, I whisper in Toby's ear. "They can't see movement, so tell the others quick. When it comes out of the brush, don't shoot at it, just stand stock still."

Toby moves his head a fraction of an inch, signaling he understands. He whispers the message in Piper's ear, then Joel's. After ten seconds, the whole group knows what to do. Not a moment too soon.

It leaps from the bushes, skin gray and white, arms spidery and spindly. I almost pass out from the fear, the memory of the old man flashing through my head. I feel Toby shaking and hear Ash quietly squeaking. I want to get off Toby and run over to her. I want to save her and hug her and just get her off this damn mountain.

…

But I can't. I frozen in place as the demon's head turn in confusion, wondering where we're hiding. It walks in a circle, first on four legs then bringing itself up to two. Why is it so big? Didn't this used to be a person?! It turns back into the woods and I think we're going to be okay. It turns its head back to look around one more time, eyes unknowingly resting on Piper.

She begins to twitch, eyes filled with horror. Her breaths are silent but huge. And frequent, like she can't get enough air. One of the signs of a panic attack. _Oh god no…_ she can't take it anymore. Her mouth opens, he fast paced breath floating in the wind. _Shit._ Too late to help. She takes in an extremely deep breath…

And screams.


	3. Support and Thanks and OMG 2 follows!

_I know, I know. Another chapter would've been better than this little authors note. But I had to post this. Love you guys._

 _Sorry, forgot to put this at the end of Chapter 2 like the dinkus that I am. :P I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 (even though it was pretty short compared to the first one) and I hope you enjoyed Chris' POV. As fun as he is to write, the story will probably focus more around Ashley's POV, jumping to other characters when it seems appropriate. I will try to update every day, but no promises. I love a little suspense and will try my best to keep you all on the edges of you seats._

 _Before I forget, BIG shout out to IEatBooksForTea and zooo-chan for following Out of the Frying Pan. It's my first big story and I am open all forms of suggestions (yes, you haters, that includes constructive criticism). If you haven't yet, please check out Lineage by IEatBooksForTea, as it super good even in its early stages._

 _Any-ho, I don't know how long this story is going to be. As long as my dark and twisted mind comes up with stuff to write down, I guess..._

 _See you guys on the flip side. Peace!_

 _*walks out the door with fist in the air*_

 _(if you don't get it, go watch Breakfast Club or Saved by the Bell or something. jeeze)_


	4. Chapter 3

**?**

We struggled through the snow, me pulling her by the hand, refusing to stop. Refusing to let go. She whimpers in pain, teeth chattering in the frosty air. She's having trouble keeping up, but I know… if we stop… she'll just lie down in the snow, curl up into a little ball, and never move again. I can't let that happen. But then again, maybe it's for the best. If we die here, we'll never experience any more pain or suffering or loss again. I'll get to leave my broken battered body behind, my mind free. I'll get to be with Dad and Gramps, and Hannah and Beth…

no

No,

No.

NO!

I won't die yet, I refuse to die yet! I refuse to let her die as well, as she leans every ounce of her being on me. We have places to go and people to see again. I don't care if I wake up every day in pain, I don't care if I have scars. I don't care if I have fucking nightmares every night for the rest of my life! I… WILL… NOT… DIE… HERE! My pace quickens as my heart fills with courage and I feel her begin to let go of my hand.

I don't let her let go. I grab her stomach and throw her over my right shoulder, my body filling with adrenaline. She gasps in pain, the blood from her cuts seeping into my jacket. I shift her slightly so she's more comfortable...

And take off running through the trees.

 **?**

Scraping, scraping, claws on the wall. Scratching away at the stone that trap me.

 _Scratch…_

 _scratch…_

 _scratch…_

Oozing, oozing, blood on the wall. Drip drip dripping down to land on my hand.

 _Drip…_

 _drip…_

 _drip…_

Putrid, putrid, the smell of the body. It hangs near me, a perfect addition to my Hell. My Hell.

 _The smell…_

 _the smell…_

 _the horrible smell!_

Unblinking, unblinking, the eyes of the head. It stares at me, into my soul.

 _Watching…_

 _watching…_

 _watching…_

I feel it, my sanity, slowly drip drip dripping away. Though to be honest, I wasn't sure I ever had it in the first place. The visions scrape scratch scraping at my soul. The smells of other places and other times flip through my head. My house, the pines, Sam's hair.

Wait, _what?_

The eyes of a dead man bore into my head, the inevitability of death closing in, the fear of insanity drowning my being… And I'm thinking about Sam's hair?!

 _I mean, she's pretty. Her blue eyes full of light, her hair always dancing in the wind when she runs, her small but athletic figure hugging me when we see each other…_

Stop it.

Stop it.

 _But she's gone now, she left me with Mike. She doesn't trust me, Sammy doesn't trust me. She left me all alone, down in the deep dark cave like she could care less. Maybe insanity won't be so bad, as long as I can see my Sammy, my Sammy…_

Stop it.

Stop it!

 _I should just lie here in my thoughts, free from the world. Free from Mike and Chris and Ashley and Emily and Matt and Jessica… And Sam. They all deserve what they got and I can avoid consequences if I just lie here against the wall and watch the rocks grow…_

STOP IT!

STOP IT!

NONE OF THEM DESERVE WHAT THEY GOT! THEY DIDN'T KILL HANNAH! THEY DIDN'T KILL BETH! THEY WERE JUST BEING STUPID! AND I HURT THEM… I hurt them… oh man, I hurt them so bad…

I pull myself to my feet, the insanity that haunted me for the past year slipping away. The visions slipping away.

Finally.

I wander a bit, trying to find it.

There.

The wall Sam climbed earlier. If she can do it, so can I. I find a foothold and begin my ascent.

 _Ooh, spooky! I bet we can all guess who the mystery people are! :) Like I said earlier, this story will probably revolve around Ashley's POV, switching to characters when they need some attention. But yes, if it isn't obvious after reading this chapter, this story will take place in an alternate universe where everyone lives (past the end of the game). *wink* Sorry, did I forget to mention that? *runs out the door to avoid airborne tomatoes*_

 _I love all of you people. Thanks for reading and see you guys on the flip side._

 _Byeeeee._


	5. Chapter 4

**Ashley**

Her scream rips through the air, chilling me to the bone. The sound is ear piercing and vibrates around my head, bouncing around my skull. I close my eyes and grip my ears through my beanie hat, trying to block out the horrific sound. And suddenly… it stops. I open my eyes to find Joel with a hand over Piper's mouth, effectively blocking out the sound with his thick gloves... As well as effectively stopping her breathing. She goes limp in his arms and he takes his hand away. I thinks she's dead, no wait… little cloudy puffs appear next to her mouth, hovering in the frosty air. She breathing, I almost sigh in relief, before realising the damage she's done.

I turn to look at where the Wendigo was moments before, only to see that it is but a few feet away from us, eyes scanning straight over the group. My breath catches in my throat, _that thing is closest to Chris and Toby._ The boys are silent, no evidence of breathing in the frosty air. I can't see their faces, but Toby's head is down, looking at his feet. He can't stand to look at the creature that may rip out his throat. I can't say I blame him, I know I'll see the wendigo every night for the rest of my life. That is, if I get off this stupid mountain.

I slowly move my hand, not wanting to bring attention to myself, until it finds Sam's. I grab it, ignoring the cuts and bruises and squeeze it tight. She squeezes back and we continue to stare as the thing moves its head back and forth, scanning over the hills, the trees, our sacred slightly shaking figures, as it attempts to locate the sound of the screamer from earlier. In doing so, it walks closer and closer to Chris' head, so close, that if it were to lean its head forward the slightest, it would smack Chris on the nose.

 _Whack…_

 _Whump..._

 _Thump._

The sound comes from the trees, down the hill the beast just climbed up. It turns its head, screeches, and runs on all fours down the hill, disappearing into the trees. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and run over to Chris and Toby, hands shaking, eyes watering. Chris practically falls off Toby's back, landing on his own back in the snow, eyes staring up to the sky. I drop down next to him and put a hand on his forehead. Even in this freezing weather he's pale and sweaty, as though he just ran a mile.

I pick his head up a bit so that a can position his jacket underneath his head, so that he doesn't get his head damp from the snow and catch a cold. I shake my head… all of this crazy happening and I care whether or not he gets a cold. I feel Toby fall to his knees next to us, then leaning on his hands, his hair brushing the snow. He grips the side of his head and whimpers, tugging at his hair. Stacy walks over to him, letting him lean against her. Like close friends. Like how Chris and I act. Sam walks over and plops down beside me, putting a hand on my beanie covered head.

"What was that sound?" I ask, referring to the thump sound from earlier. Sam shakes her head.

'I have no idea, but whatever it was, it saved our lives."

I look down the hill into the snowy forest. The sunlight is beginning to peek out from behind the trees.

"Guys, let's hand here for a while. The wendigos hunt at night, so if we wait awhile any still alive will be asleep."

Joel nods, and the others just stand or sit or lie in the snow. I lay down, putting my head on Chris' chest and close my eyes. I pretend I don't hear Toby's crying and allow the crushing blackness of sleep to overtake me.

 **Matt**

I'm fucked. Jess is fucked. We're so dead.

I slow my breathing down to a reasonable speed, my heart racing. I need to find somewhere to hide… There! Some rocks forming a little cave. I fix Jess on my back so that she's more comfy, and run over to the rocks. The sound of rustling in the bushes scares me, making me run faster, _faster!_ Oh god no… The rocks are too far away! No no no no no… I'm not gonna make it. I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT! Something leaps out of the bushes behind me, hissing quietly. Strange… it didn't screech like a wendigo. It doesn't matter, I continue running, running, running.

I make it to the rocks and move Jess so that I'm carrying her bridal style in my arms. I crouch, my body over hers. She whimpers in pain, but I don't dare move. The sound of the thing gets louder and louder. I squeeze my eyes shut. Until suddenly…

"Matt? Jess?"

I open my eyes and look over the rock to see… Josh? He looks like shit. He's wearing weird overalls and is covered in dust, snow, and what looks like some blood. But his eyes… they're there. After his sisters disappeared and even before, Josh always had a glazed look in his eyes.

Out of focus with the rest of the world.

Not anymore. His eyes are clear and are filled with relief and joy and love. He runs up to us and gives us a hug. It hits me.

I've never hugged Josh.

I mean, I'm straight, okay? But I've hugged every single other one of my friends before.

Never Josh.

Jess gets out of my arms and Josh and I squeeze her between us, enjoying the company of another human.

 **Josh**

I climbed out of my hell-hole to find myself in the woods. I giant plume of smoke can be seen in the distance. Calling to me. I take off running, trying to get to it. As I run, I hear panting and see movement through the trees. At first, I think it's a Wendigo. But… wendigos don't scream out "shit" when they trip over tree roots, do they?

No dumbass, of course they don't. I run after the figure only to find it hiding behind a rock. That purple jacket is uncanny.

"Matt?" I call out. "Jess?"

They reveal themselves from behind the rock and I have trouble not crying. I run over to them, throwing my arms around their shaking figures.

 _They're alive… Holy shit they're alive!_

Mike is going to be so happy.

But as we pull away from our hug, darker thoughts cross my mind. _They don't know…_ I gulp and look up at Matt's smiling face.

 _They don't know I did this to them…_

I shove my worry down to the bottom of my priorities list. Priority #1, get these two off the mountain. I want to so some encouraging words to inspire them to get through this.

"Holy-mother-of-god-the-two-of-you-look-like-shit," is what comes out.

Go figure.

Matt chuckles awkwardly and Jess just stares at the ground.

"I'm gonna get you off this mountain and give you guys the number to my mom's plastic surgeon."

I don't wait for a response, I just grab their hands and lead them in the direction of the smoke plume. We eventually scale a small mountain (or large hill, whichever floats your boat). I don't know why, but I kick this rock at the top off, and it falls down

down

down

down.

Then we continue.

 **Rocky**

First off, nothing is more insulting than getting kicked. I am not a pebble. I am a small boulder. So when this guy walks up, practically carrying these two vegetables own his back and kicks me down the hill, I get pretty pissed.

I scream insults at him all the way down the hill, then remember I don't have a mouth. Thanks natural selection.

As I roll down the hill, I pass a group of people at the top of a hill below the gigantic hill I was just on. The look like shit and OH MY GOD ONE OF THOSE CREEPY ASS THINGS IS STARING AT THEM! Well, they're screwed. No one survives those things. I roll past them, none of them noticing. I wonder why… I guess it just rains rocks wherever they normally live. I roll past them, crashing through a bush and slamming into a tree.

Whack!

Whump!

Thump!

Owww gad dammit!

Oh no, the creepy ass thing is coming my way. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Gotta blend in. My father's words ring in my ears. " _Just act like a rock you idiot."_ Got it. I can be a rock. Hell, I'll be the best rock you ever did see! Or won't see, I'm blending in.

 _Be the rock…  
Be the rock… _

_Be the rock…_

The thing looks around, then runs after a caribou that just pranced into view. I would sigh in relief, but I don't have a mouth. As I check out my new surroundings, a blue butterfly lands on top of me.

Pretty.

 _Hey, guys! Sorry for not uploading, I had a softball tournament all day yesterday and some of today. I actually managed to sprain two of my fingers on my right (dominant) hand. My middle and Index. This may or may not slow down story postings as it is now incredibly hard to type._

 _But hey, when life gives you lemons,_

 _be like Chris._

 _Any-ho, just a heads up to those who are following me, I dabble. I will not just be writing Until Dawn stuff. I have an overactive imagination and I love a variety of movies, books, games, comics, anime, etc. So if you get an email with my name attached and it doesn't say "Out of the Frying Pan" just be warned: it may, in fact, be something completely unrelated to until Dawn. Rated T for truth._

 _I love you all (yes, even those of you who were just searching through your friend's emails and wonder why the heck they're getting emails from ) and I will see you guys on the flipside._


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